Animals
All in One Piece by Jill Murphy
All In One Piece describes Mr and Mrs Large’s preparations for having a rare night out, just the two of them. Jill Murphy’s stories about the Large family were huge favourites of mine when I was teaching and it’s lovely to share them with my daughter who finds the children’s antics very funny.
Jasper’s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth & Mick Inkpen
With the weather getting warmer and spring on its way we are starting to think about our garden and have already planted lettuce and basil seeds. Jasper’s Beanstalk is a great story to introduce the concept of planting and growth to young children.
My Mummy and Me by Tina Macnaughton
My Mummy and Me would make a lovely present for a young child to give to Mummy for Mother’s Day. It’s a gorgeously illustrated celebration of a mother / child relationship 🙂
The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright
Mrs Boot, her children Poppy and Sam and their dog Rusty have been firm favourites with my daughter since she received this book as a Christmas present when she was eighteen months old. The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales contains twenty stories (you can also buy the stories as separate mini books) and our version…
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
The Story: Every day Amos McGee takes the bus to his job at the zoo. He has several good animal friends there who he visits daily. However, one day Amos wakes up sick and can’t go to work. The animals wait patiently for him but when he doesn’t arrive they take the bus and go…
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae & David Wojtowycz
Commotion in the Ocean is a fabulous, rhyming, non fiction picture book that introduces a wide range of fish and animals. I have bought this for several children as a present, used it in the classroom and finally bought it for my daughter for International Book Giving Day!
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
The Story: It is winter and Bear is sleeping in his cave. One by one a succession of birds and animals come into the cave to get warm and soon a fire is lit. The animals start to share their food, chat and party and Bear snores on! There is a moment of tension when…
Maria Bogade recommends The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
The Story: In The Odd Egg every bird has an egg but Duck. When Duck finds a huge egg, he thinks it is the best and most beautiful egg ever. Eventually all the other bird babies hatch and the tension rises as to what will be in Duck’s big and spotted egg. A funny surprise…
Doing the Animal Bop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner
I was sad to hear of Jan Ormerod’s death last week, her books have given pleasure to me and to many readers over the years. One of our favourite books, written by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner, is Doing the Animal Bop.
Hugless Douglas / Don’t Worry Hugless Douglas by David Melling
Hugless Douglas is a big, adorable, brown bear who is the main character in several picture books. As we couldn’t decide which was our favourite story we are recommending two!
